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2016 Political Season Officially Underway

April 25, 2016

With the April 19th filing deadline for partisan candidates behind us, the 2016 election season has officially begun. Of key interest to the Michigan Chamber this election cycle are 14 Congressional races, 110 State House races and two races in the Michigan Supreme Court.

At the congressional level, there will be two open seats with Congressman Dan Benishek (R - District 1) and Congresswoman Candice Miller (R-District 10) both opting not to seek re-election. The 1st Congressional District will be hotly contested. Two other interesting races to watch include the 7th Congressional District (Tim Walberg) and the 8th Congressional District (Mike Bishop), although we fully expect both Congressmen Walberg and Bishop to be re-elected. Michigan’s Congressional Delegation is currently made up of nine Republicans and five Democrats.

The State House has 110 State House seats up for grabs.The current partisan breakdown is 63 Republicans and 46 Democrats. (Democrat Derek Miller has resigned from office). There are 41 open seats this year (27 from term-limited Republicans and 14 from Democrats). If the Democrats are to regain the House, they will need to pick up nine seats. Most experts project a Democratic Majority to be a long-shot, but they have the opportunity to pick up four to six seats.

The Michigan Supreme Court has two elections this year. Justice David Viviano will be seeking re-election for an eight-year term on the bench. Justice Joan Larsen will be running to fill the remainder of the term previously held by Justice Mary Beth Kelly, who resigned in late last year. Justice Larsen, if victorious in November, will have to appear on the ballot again in 2018 to seek election for a full eight-year term.

The Michigan Chamber and the Michigan Chamber PACs will be highly active in these races, and all of our efforts are only possible with your support. Please consider supporting the Michigan Chamber PAC with a personal or corporate contribution. If you have any questions about these races or how to contribute, please contact Brad Hantler at (517) 371-7640 or bhantler@michamber.com.